Ecclesiastes · Chapter 10

Dead flies decay and pollute, etc. E.g., in the winter season, flies have no strength, and are near death; nevertheless, if it falls into a perfumer’s oil and becomes mingled with the perfumes, it causes it to become putrid and it assumes a foam, which is called escume in O.F., and a sort of bubbles appears in it, and this is the meaning of ‘יַבִּיעַ.’ So an insignificant thing spoiled a precious thing. So does a little foolishness outweigh wisdom and honor, for it outweighed them all. Suppose that a man was equally divided with transgressions and merits, and he came and committed one transgression, which tipped the scale [causing him] to be guilty. The result is that this foolishness which is small, is heavy and weighs, and is heavier than all the wisdom and honor that he possessed, for behold, it outweighed them all. — Notes: (1) I.e., a fly. (2) I.e., the perfumer’s oil. [Are] outweighed. An expression of weight. It is heavy and weighs more than the wisdom that he possesses. The Midrash Aggadah [states], that [Scripture] compares the evil inclination to dying flies. Decay and pollute. A good name, which is more pleasant than a perfumer’s oil.

"Dead flies" — [The verb] "yav'ish" [makes fetid] is found throughout Scripture in the singular in place of the plural, in places where the plural would be expected. What seems correct to me is that their manner is a concise style: "dead flies makes fetid" [singular verb with a plural-sense subject] means that each fly, on its own, makes fetid in its own place — like "its branches (banot) runs (tza'adah, singular) over the wall" (Genesis 49:22), meaning each branch, each one in its own place; and "the woman took the two men and hid him (vatitzpeno, singular)" (Joshua 2:4), meaning she hid them, each one in his own place; and "Hezekiah took the letters... and read it (vayikra'ehu, singular)" (II Kings 19:14), meaning he read them, each one by itself. And the meaning of "the letter" is that which has the words written in it, as recorded in Scripture. And the word "yabia" is difficult in this place. Some explain it as being from "avabu'ot" [blisters, pustules], but the grammar of the language does not accept this, for the root of "avabu'ot" is ba'ah, one of the verbs whose lamed [final root letter] is not complete [i.e., a lamed-heh, "weak" verb]; and like it: "the fire makes the waters boil (mayim tiv'eh esh)" (Isaiah 64:1), "bulging out (niv'ah) in a high wall" (Isaiah 30:13). What is closer to my view is that it is from "mabu'a" [a spring], for the dagesh in the bet serves to absorb the nun, which is the first root letter (pe ha-po'al); and this is shown by "nachal nove'a" [a flowing stream] (Proverbs 18:4). And the sense is that the dead flies make the perfumer's ointment fetid, though there is nothing above it in good fragrance, and the fetidness does not cease, for the flies keep making it bubble forth; and so it [the verb] is transitive (po'el yotze). And know that "yaqar," vocalized with a qamatz [under the yod], is an adjective (to'ar ha-shem); and the word "yeqar," with a sheva under the yod, is a noun, like "kavod" [honor]. And for both of them the [second vowel] is a qamatz, and this is the same whether in the independent (absolute) form or in the construct form, as in "bigdei ha-sarad" [the service garments] (Exodus 31:10), "and every precious thing his eye has seen" (Job 28:10), and "the glory of his majestic greatness" (Esther 1:4). And the construct is vocalized with a qamatz in order to distinguish it from the construct of the adjective, [as in] "yaqar-ruach, ish tevunah" ["a man of understanding is precious of spirit"] (cf. Proverbs 17:27). Therefore one who recites in the Rosh Hashanah prayer "u-lechvod shimcha yaqar yitenu" ["and to the honor of Your glorious Name they shall give"], pronouncing the yod with a qamatz, errs; the truth is that it should be with a sheva, as in "and all the wives shall give honor (yeqar) to their husbands" (Esther 1:20). And the meaning of "yaqar" in this verse is that it refers to a person. And the sense is: just as dead flies make the perfumer's ointment fetid, so too there is a person who is precious in wisdom and honor, in whom there is a little folly; for a little folly in a wise man ruins his good name and makes it fetid — and this folly is sin. And this verse is connected to the verse above, "but one sinner destroys much good" [9:18]: even one sin in a wise man is a grave matter. Behold, King Solomon — the Omnipresent appeared to him twice, and he built a place for the honor of Hashem, and his wisdom encompassed and exceeded that of the earlier and later generations, and no wrongdoing was found in him; yet because of one sin — that he did not investigate what his wives were doing, and they built a house for their gods with Solomon's wealth — everything that is written about him in Scripture, in the words of Ahijah and Nehemiah, was written [as it was]. And do not be astonished, for every sin is small or great according to the stature of the one who commits it, as in the matter of "through those near to Me I will be sanctified" (Leviticus 10:3). And how weighty is the derash of our sages of blessed memory on the phrase "and round about Him it storms mightily" (Psalm 50:3)! And likewise harsh words were written about men greater than King Solomon for a light matter that was not done willfully, but rather others brought the matter about.

"Dead flies, etc." — Solomon replies and says: Have I not said that the wisdom of the good inclination (yetzer tov) is better than the weapons of war of the evil inclination (yetzer hara)? These are the destroyers that came into being through transgressions, that come to help it [the evil inclination] cause sin — would that they were only weapons of war! But behold, I see that the power of the evil inclination is great, for the "dead flies" are the destroyers that come into being through sins of lewdness (zimah), and all sins are the sweetness of desire; therefore flies appear that go after everything sweet. So too, these things cause a person to sin through the pleasantness of lewdness and things resembling it — resembling, in a sense, that from which the flies themselves come to be, for these sins are causes of death, as is known; therefore they are called "flies of death." Behold, great is the power of the evil inclination, which is sufficient to make the dead flies stink, so that a stench rises from them, until the smell of their putrefaction reaches the one whom they come to make sin — for it is he himself who created them, and his soul performs deeds amid their impurity, until he continues yet further to become defiled by sin, in such a way that through them [these sins] become to him like a natural thing. If so, what wisdom of the good inclination could prevent the sin? Or, [Solomon] may say "dead flies" of the women who caused death, [each] being like a fly that goes after the sweet, like Eve — as it says, "And the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight, etc." (Genesis 3:6). And behold, the evil inclination made the fragrance of his wives fetid, to make him sin, until He, may He be blessed, was angry with him, and it is written, "And he did evil" (1 Kings 11:6) — to the point that it was the cause that made the precious perfumer's ointment bubble up with a stench, etc. This is because Solomon had two crowns: one, the crown of kingship, which corresponds to the diadem of perfumer's oil with which he was anointed; and [the other] the crown of Torah. And it is known that the crown of Torah is greater than the crown of kingship. And Solomon said: See how great is the power of the evil inclination, that it sufficed, by means of making the dead flies stink, to make the matter of the perfumer's oil — which is the crown of kingship — stink, against the crown of Torah, which is greater than it, as one who calls out over it [the Torah] and says: Needless to say that my crown is greater than yours; rather, would that you had not become wise! For indeed [a little folly] is "more precious than wisdom" — not more precious than the existence of wisdom itself, but rather also more precious than that which is "of honor," which is the wisdom of honor, as our Sages of blessed memory said, "There is no honor but Torah" (Avot 6:3). And this is why [the verse says] "of honor" and does not say "and of honor": "a little folly would have been better for you than it [wisdom]," for indeed it was the greatness of his wisdom that caused his downfall, for therefore he said, "I will multiply [wives], and I will not turn aside" [cf. Deuteronomy 17:17] — unlike if he had been deficient in wisdom, in which case he would not have said so; for it was because of his abundance of wisdom that he excluded himself from the rule that applies to everyone else. And there is no power of the evil inclination greater than this, that it can subdue the stature of the Torah, to the point of their saying that a little folly is more precious than it. The Holy Spirit responds and says: Do not say so — that a little folly would have been good for you so that you would not sin by not multiplying wives for yourself. On the contrary, the opposite is true: for behold, "the heart of the wise man is to his right" (Ecclesiastes 10:2) — for now, since you were wise, you inclined toward the right side, for you said, "I will multiply and not turn aside" — for in any case, you were like one who desired that your heart not turn aside; unlike had you been in a little folly, for then, on the contrary, even with the intention of turning your heart aside you would have acted, for "the heart of the fool is to his left" (Ecclesiastes 10:2). And not only that, but also "in the way" (Ecclesiastes 10:3) — that is, as it says "in the way," meaning, on a known way, which is the way of Hashem: in his performing of the commandments, his heart is lacking, for he performs the deed without intention of the heart, but rather as "a commandment of men, learned by rote" (Isaiah 29:13), so that error in the deed necessarily results, and he must say to all who see his error that he is a fool, one of the fools regarding Torah, so that they should not wonder at his error; or, presumably, he fears lest he err on account of his folly regarding the Torah, and so he says to all that he is a fool, so that they should not wonder if he errs — in such a way that there is no room to say that "more precious than wisdom" is "a little folly."

"Dead flies" — Dead flies, each one of which falls into the perfumer's oil that gives off a great fragrance — nevertheless this fly will make the oil fetid, and the foulness will not stop, for the fly makes the foul odor well up continuously like a flowing spring. Thus, behold, a trivial thing ruined a valuable thing. "outweighs wisdom" — So too a man who is precious and important on account of the wisdom and honor found in him — nevertheless, if there is also found in him a little folly, the folly destroys his importance.

"yav'ish" (make fetid) — an expression of "putrefaction/foul odor." "yabbia" (make putrid, lit. bubble up) — from the language of "welling forth" (nevi'ah). "rokeach" (of the perfumer) — "mixed with spices," as in "a compound of spiced ointment [rokeach mirkachat]" (Exodus 30:25). "yakar" (honor) — an expression of "importance/preciousness," as in "precious stones [avanim yekarot]" (I Kings 7:9).

The heart [understanding] of a wise man is at his right hand. His wisdom will turn him onto the proper path for his benefit. — Notes: (3) Alternatively, his intellect is always at hand when he needs it. (Metsudas Dovid) But the heart of a fool is at his left. To drive him off the proper path, which is a glory and a comfort for him. — Notes: (4) Alternatively, his intellect is not ready in time of need. (Metsudas Dovid)

"A wise man's heart" — This is not said of the physical organ of the heart, for it is in the middle for everyone, both the wise man and the fool, even though its tip leans toward the left side. Rather, its meaning is that the wise man's intellect is with him, and at the time of need he finds it at once, in all his affairs, quickly; and the opposite is true of the fool. It is as if to say, "a wise man's understanding is at his right hand," for the right hand has more strength than the left, and more speed, because the source of the blood, which is the liver, is on the right side. And the existence of a left-handed man (ish itter yad-yemino, Judges 3:15) is not a valid objection, for the general statement follows what is found in most people.

"understanding" [lit. "heart"] — meaning, the intellect that is planted in the heart. "is at his right hand" — meaning, it is ready for him in all his affairs, and he finds it at once in time of need. He speaks in borrowed/figurative language, since a person's right hand is more ready and swift than the left. "but... at his left" — meaning, it is not ready and not swift in time of need.

And proclaims to all that he is a fool. By his walk and with his speech, everyone recognizes that he is a fool. — Notes: (5) His actions make it so obvious, that it is as if he proclaims to all that he is a fool. (Ibn Ezra)

"And also, on the road" — The fool, in all his affairs and words, shows the lack of his intellect and knowledge, even when he is walking on the road; it is as if he is proclaiming about himself, displaying his disgrace, and making his deficiency known to all. And this is the meaning of "and he says to everyone that he is a fool" — as if with his own mouth he says to everyone that he is a fool.

"Indeed also, when... by the way" — Even when he is on the road, not in his place of dwelling — even when he is merely walking and not delaying — it is apparent to all that he lacks understanding. "and he says to every one" — meaning, his deeds and affairs are not done with understanding, and it is as if with his own mouth he says to everyone that he is a fool.

If the spirit [anger] of the Ruler. The Ruler of the Universe flares up against you, to scrutinize you with the Divine standard of justice. Do not leave your place. Do not set aside your virtuous trait and say to Him, “Of what avail is my righteousness?” For softness. The stringencies of the judgment with the afflictions that come upon you are a cure for your sins, and will relieve great sins for you.

"If the spirit" — Because he mentioned above that the words of the wise are heeded more than the words of the ruler among fools, he returns to caution the wise man: if you have risen by your wisdom to the level of rulership, as in the matter of "for out of the prison house he came forth to reign" (Ecclesiastes 4:14), still "do not leave your place." And the meaning is: [maintain] humility of spirit. Or its meaning is that he should still occupy himself with wisdom always, just as he did at first, as if he had not moved from his place and had not risen to a higher rank over other people. And know that as for [the notion that] "if you grow slack (hitrapita)," the slackness will leave you among great sins — it is more correct that "marpe" is a verb of the heavy construction (binyan kaved), from the same root as "harpeh lah" ["let her alone"] (II Kings 4:27), the aleph standing in place of a heh, like an aleph; therefore it is "marpe," which is of the heavy construction. And the sense is that one who relinquishes his authority forgoes great sins. And some say that a person who is healing/restrained (ish marpe) will forgo great sins, like a person of medicine who will not eat something that would cause him great harm, but rather is careful. And this commentator explains "if the spirit" [of the ruler]: if the wrath of the ruler rises against you, do not turn away from the pursuit of wisdom, and the wise man will not anger the ruler; and the sense is that the wise man will avoid anything that would bring him to a sin on account of which the ruler would become angry, like the physician who from the outset guards himself against harsh foods.

He is saying: "if the spirit of the ruler" — that is, if a spirit of rulership and self-assertion has overpowered you and rises up within you to pursue after rulership and dominion — "leave not your place," and flee from rulership. Or, even if you should assert rulership, let your worth not increase in your own eyes, and do not enlarge your throne, but rather do not leave the lowly place that has been yours until now. For this remedy of lowliness will spare you from sinning great sins that are stirred up through rulership — and not only sins committed deliberately, or unwittingly in the sense that you know what you are doing but err in thinking the act permitted, but rulership will bring you to sin also through that which you do not intend at all. For behold, there is a harm that comes upon a person which is not merely an erroneous ruling that condemns the innocent by mistakenly deeming him guilty, but even something that never entered the ruler's mind at all. For by way of example: he might mention the death of someone by the sword, and his servants, hearing this suddenly, would think he was decreeing that the one standing before him be killed by the sword; or he might mention a man who was recently spoken of, and they would rise up suddenly against him and kill him. It turns out that through that ruler, the blood of a soul was caused to be shed in a matter he did not even intend — how much more so in a matter that he did intend! And behold, this liability is attributed only to the ruler. Therefore I have advised: flee from rulership or pride, and distance yourself from several kinds of great sins. And should you say: 'Even if I do assert rulership, yet I remain lowly, at the standing of my original place, will I still not escape the like of this — stumbling through a decree of rulership, whether deliberate, unwitting, or "as an error that goes forth"?' — do not be concerned, for behold, it is given to the fool — his very folly — to cause sin to cascade in many "heights," that is, in the heights of dwelling in great pride. Therefore I have advised that "and the rich sit in a low place," lest they become proud through their riches and be lost. Or, he is saying: if the spirit of the ruler within you is the yetzer hara (evil inclination) that has reached the point of acting as master of the house, asserting its rule over you — do not loosen its reins to the point that you leave your place in Gan Eden (the Garden of Eden) to another. For if you turn back in repentance, your place will not be given to another — unlike the way of the wicked one, whose portion in Gan Eden the righteous one takes away for strangers. And should you say: 'Even if I sin, is not the remedy of repentance within my power?' — if you say so, know that the familiar remedy of repentance cannot heal everything, for it will fail to heal unwitting sins — even if they be great sins — and you will not repent of them. And should you say: 'When I repent, will I not set my heart to repent of the unwitting sin as of a deliberate one, all the more so of the great ones?' — to this it is said: behold, below the natural unwitting sin there is yet another, lighter than it, which is in fact a great sin, that a person tramples underfoot without repenting of it. And this is the meaning of "there is a harm, etc.," "it is like an error that goes forth, etc." — the intent is to speak by way of a parable regarding this and the like of it. And this is what is meant by "as an error that goes forth" — that is, like this and similar to it, meaning, like "an error that goes forth," etc., for it is stated by way of a parable. And that which I advise you — not to go so far in sin as to leave your place — is because: know that it is given to the fool — his very folly — to sin in many "heights," namely, those who raise themselves up and become proud; for in them the evil inclination desires a dwelling place for itself, in order to cause them to sin. Therefore this is my advice: that not only the poor, but also, "and the rich sit in a low place," and it will be well for them. Or, he is saying, in this vein: if the spirit of the ruler — that is, the yetzer hara — rises up against you, beware lest you go so far as to leave your place. And this is what our Sages, of blessed memory, said: 'If a person sees that his inclination is overpowering him, let him dress, etc., and go to a place where he is not known, etc.' For the remedy of changing one's place, if you go so far that it overpowers you, will not fix everything, for it will leave unaddressed great unwitting sins that a person tramples underfoot. Therefore it is very good not to reach that limit, for then he will not be negligent so as to fail to abandon the aforementioned sins. And the rest is close to what preceded.

"If the spirit of the ruler [rises up against you]" — If the ruler's wrath rises against you, do not leave your place to flee from before him. "for gentleness" — For the slackness — that is, that you remain unmoved regarding it and do not deliver yourself into his hand — this allays great offenses, rather than piling them up; for by fleeing you would add further sin, and he would not have mercy on you when he overtakes you.

"ru'ach" (spirit) — its meaning is "anger" and "wrath," as in "he shall inherit the wind [ru'ach]" (Proverbs 11:29). "tannach" (leave not) — an expression of "leaving/abandoning." "marpe" (gentleness) — from the language of "slackness" (rifyon). "yanniach" (allays, lit. lays to rest) — from the language of "laying to rest" (hannachah).

Like an error emanating from the ruler. He is like a ruler who unintentionally let an error out of his mouth, and it is irrevocable. So does the Holy One, Blessed Is He, speak, and [His decrees] cannot be retracted.

"There is an evil" — The word "yotze" [that goes forth] occurs with its lamed [final root letter] as an aleph, like the verbs that have a heh [as their final letter], such as "and Esther did (osah) the bidding of Mordechai" (Esther 2:20) — and this is the feminine form, for the masculine is "yotze." And likewise, "ke-eglah dasha" [like a heifer that treads] — and if it appears with an aleph, this follows the pattern of the [verbs] that have a heh, as with "davah" [faint, ill] and "lema'an sefot ha-ravah" ["to add the watered to the thirsty"] (Deuteronomy 29:18), even though the grammarian (ba'al ha-dikduk) said that the aleph of "dasha" stands in place of a heh. And the sense of this verse is connected to the one above [10:4]: that the ruler's authority compels him to do things contrary to the truth, and he makes it appear as though they were an inadvertent error and that he did not know.

"There is an evil" — which I have seen under the sun. "like an error" — The ruler's governance sometimes compels him to do the opposite of what is proper, and it appears to the people as though he erred in the matter, when in fact it is not so.

Folly is set upon great heights. This is the evil that is like an error which goes forth from before the ruler, that foolishness and wickedness are placed on the loftiest heights, for the Holy One, Blessed Is He, elevated the fools and the wicked, for I see with the Holy Spirit, that they are destined to extend their hand upon His Temple and to make “their signs for signs.” — Notes: (6) Tehillim 74:4. See also Maseches Gittin 56b. But the rich sit in low places. Yisroel, for despite all the greatness and honor that they have now in my days, they are destined to sit in a low place, as it is stated, “they sit on the ground, they are silent.” — Notes: (7) Alternatively, this verse describes the evil that Koheles observes in the previous verse. The rich who are deserving of honor are ignored, while fools and slaves are elevated to high positions that they do not deserve. (Metsudas Dovid) (8) Eichah 2:10.

"The fool is set" — Commentators have said that this word should properly be spelled with a sin [i.e., ha-sekhel, "understanding," rather than ha-sekel], the point being that men of understanding deserve to sit in many high places, while the rich are the opposite. This idea is correct in itself, but it does not fit the sense of the verse that comes before it and after it. Rather, its meaning is: the man of folly — that is, the fool — is set to be in high places. It is possible that sekhel here is a descriptive noun (shem ha-to'ar), like yelekh (he will go) and halakh (he went) [different grammatical forms of the same pattern]. And the interpretation of "many" (rabbim) is like "great ones" and "rich ones" who have status in the world, as it says in the Book of Proverbs, "The rich rules over the poor" (Proverbs 22:7) — "[and the rich] sit in a low place."

"Folly is set [on great heights]" — meaning, this is the fool who is placed in high positions, positions not fitting for him, while the wealthy who deserve honor sit in a low and lowly place; and this appears as though it happened by error, but it is not so.

"ha-sekhel" (folly) — "the fool" (ha-kesil). "ba-meromim" (on great heights) — from the language of "height" and "loftiness" (marom). "rabbim" (the rich) — meaning "great/prominent men." "ba-shafel" (in low place) — "a low place."

I have seen slaves on horses. These are the Chaldeans, about whom it is stated, “this nation never used to be,” will be elevated [to ride] on horses, leading Yisroel’s captives, bound with neck irons. — Notes: (9) Yeshayahu 23:13. Walking on foot like slaves on the ground. Before the Chaldean chariots.

"I have seen" — This verse continues the theme of the first verse [10:5], and concerning all of these he said at the outset "there is" (yesh), as I explained, meaning something that is found only in a few instances.

He said: this is like the one who 'saw an inverted world' (Bava Batra 10b) — the upper ones below and the lower ones above — except that there, it was because he had fainted and [in that state] saw that [other] world, and those whom he recognized here as prominent he saw there as lowly, and the lowly ones as prominent. But Solomon, through his holy spirit (ruach ha-kodesh), had before him [an awareness] that those who are debased and enslaved Above he saw here upon horses, and those who are, Above, princes, he saw here as slaves. But this [inversion] is not a matter of the earth alone — concerning the heavens too it is reversed. And it is possible that he prophesied concerning the exile: that the [gentile] kingdoms would be upon horses, and Israel would be like slaves upon the earth. And he said: behold, 'he who digs a pit' [Ecclesiastes 10:8] is Pharaoh, who dug a pit to cast Israel into it, as it is said (Exodus 1:22), 'Every son that is born you shall cast into the river' — '[in it] he shall fall,' for he [Pharaoh] was drowned in the sea, measure for measure, and this is [the meaning of] 'in it he shall fall.' But what is difficult for me is that '[he who] breaches a fence' [Ecclesiastes 10:8] is Nebuchadnezzar, who breached the wall of Jerusalem, and accordingly what would be fitting is that 'a serpent shall bite him' immediately — for if the people sinned, what did the Temple sin? And likewise, 'he who quarries stones' [Ecclesiastes 10:9] is the one who said (Psalms 137:7), 'Raze it, raze it, to its very foundation,' and carried the stones far off from the gates of Jerusalem — '[he] shall be pained by them' — yet why was he not pained, but rather [his punishment] was prolonged for him? But concerning Haman and Greece this was not difficult for me, for they received their due portion immediately. And likewise, 'he who splits wood' [Ecclesiastes 10:9] is Hadrian at Betar, who split the trees of Hashem — great, righteous men, and the schoolchildren who were without sin, four hundred teachers in each of four hundred synagogues (Gittin 58a) — '[he] shall be endangered by them' — yet why was he not endangered, as happened with Pharaoh? And he answers with '[if] the iron be blunt' [Ecclesiastes 10:10] — as if to say: behold, I bring you a proof, so that you may learn from it an answer, from the very cases you raised. For you said that just as Pharaoh fell into the pit that he dug, so should it rightly have been for the others — but behold, Pharaoh too should rightly have been struck down, from the time he sought to kill Moses! And this is [the meaning of] 'if the iron be blunt': when Pharaoh came to kill Moses, the sword became blunt, for his [Moses's] neck grew hard. And this was because Moses had not marred his face — he had not marred the image of God from his face, even while he was in Pharaoh's house, and it was his holiness that sustained him. But even so, it is fitting to raise a difficulty: for according to the greatness of his holiness, it would have been fitting not only that Moses be saved, but also that 'he prevail with armies' to slay the one who sought his life, as it was with Abraham, with Amraphel and his companions who sought his life — for surely he [Moses] is not lesser than Abraham; on the contrary, there is 'the advantage of hachsher [enabling success]' that wisdom gives, for wisdom produces an advantage of enabling success, and this was in Moses in essence. But the reason he was not given dominion over Pharaoh, to fell him, is this: behold, 'if the serpent' — that is, Pharaoh — 'bites' [Moses] 'without a lachash [whispered charm]' [Ecclesiastes 10:11], it was not so; rather, it was through what Dathan whispered to Pharaoh in slanderous speech [lashon hara], telling him that he had killed the Egyptian. And therefore, since the blame for the matter lay upon Dathan, Pharaoh was not held culpable. So it is with all the exiles mentioned: the reason Hashem did not bring [immediate] punishment upon the doers of evil is that Israel's own sins caused it. For '[there is] no advantage for the master of the tongue' [Ecclesiastes 10:11] — that is, Dathan — who is not so great that his sin alone would suffice to prolong [judgment] for Pharaoh, any more than for Israel, who sinned in the days of Nebuchadnezzar and his companions — for according to [the gravity of] their sins, they add strength to the enemy, prolonging [his reign] for him.

"upon horses" — riding upon horses, which is not fitting for them. "as servants" — just as is fitting for servants. "upon the earth" — walking on their feet upon the ground.

He who digs a pit. גּוּמָּץ is] a pit. Will fall into it. Sometimes he falls into it, i.e., sometimes you have a plotter of evil, and ultimately he is trapped by his own plot, for Nevuchadnetzar’s seed was destroyed through the vessels of the Beis Hamikdosh, as it is stated, “you exalted yourself against the Lord of Heaven.” — Notes: (10) Daniyeil 5:23. The verse continues, “and the vessels of His House were brought before you, and you, your nobles, your consorts and your concubines drank wine from them, etc.” He who breaks down a fence. The fence [established] by the Sages, to transgress their ordinances. — Notes: (11) The Gemara in Maseches Avodah Zarah 27b, applies this verse to those who break down the “fences” established via Rabbinic ordinances which serve to safeguard the Torah; such individuals “will be bitten by a snake,” i.e., death at the hands of Heaven. The destruction caused by such people comes gradually without it being sensed and continuously grows. Its effect is similar to a snake’s venom which continues to spread without realization until it results in death. See Mesilas Yeshorim Chapter 6. Will be bitten by a snake. Death at the hands of Heaven, and because he spoke with an expression of breaking a fence, he mentions his recompense with an expression of the biting of a snake, who nestles in the cracks and holes of the walls of dilapidated houses. — Notes: (12) Alternatively, whoever breaks down a fence which acted as a barrier to protect others from being bitten, will himself be bitten. This theme is a repetition of the first phrase, “he who digs, etc,” and continues into the next verse, to stress that these occurrences happen often. (Metsudas Dovid)

"He who digs a pit" — Know that gomets (pit) occurs only this one time and has no second occurrence; it likewise has no "son" (ben) or "brother" (ach) — that is, no cognate or derived form — elsewhere in Scripture. And chofer (digger) indicates its meaning, which is like bor (pit): karah (he dug) and vayachperehu (and he dug it) [similar usages elsewhere]. It is possible that this matter refers to the ruler who does the opposite of the truth and breaches a fence built by the sages of old; or its meaning may refer to the fool. The point is: even though things contrary to the truth may be found in the world, this happens in the minority of cases; but for the most part, "he who digs a pit shall fall into it" — and the wise man, who sees what is coming (ha-nolad), will not fall.

"He who digs a pit" — one who digs a pit so that another will fall into it — then the digger himself will fall into it. That is to say, one who prepares a stumbling-block for his fellow is himself the one who stumbles on it. "and whoever breaks through a fence" — one who tears down a fence of stones so that the serpents dwelling in the holes and crevices of the fence will come out and harm people — then the serpent will bite the very one who tore it down. And this is a repetition of the same matter in different words.

"chofer" (he who digs) — "digs" (koreh). "gumatz" (a pit) — "a pit and a hole"; it has no cognate elsewhere [in Scripture], and its meaning is understood from context. "u-fkorets" (and whoever breaks through) — an expression of "demolishing." "gader" (a fence) — "a stone wall." "yishkhennu" (shall bite him) — from the language of "biting" and "stinging."

He who removes stones will be hurt by them. One who quarries stones in the mountains will be fatigued by them. Will be hurt. ‘יֵעָצֵב’ is an expression of weariness, as in, “with toil בְּעִצָּבוֹן shall you eat it,” i.e., every man, his weariness is according to his work, so will the doer of evil reap according to what he sows. — Notes: (13) Bereishis 3:17. Alternatively, whoever scatters rocks to trip others, will himself be tripped and hurt by them. (Alshich) Will be endangered by them. Shall be warmed by them, as in, “and she shall be to him a warmer סֹכֶנֶת.” So will one who engages in [the study of] Torah and in [the performance of] commandments ultimately benefit from them. — Notes: (14) I Melochim 1:2.

"Whoever quarries stones" [masia] — Most of the commentators explained "yisakein bam" [he shall be endangered by them] as "he shall be warmed by them," saying that it is like "va-tehi lamelekh sokhenet" (and she became consort to the king) [1 Kings 1:2,4]. This interpretation, though pleasing in its language, is not attested in the kal (light/simple) binyan except as an intransitive verb (po'el omed). The correct view is that sokhenet means one in charge of the king's treasuries, like "arei miskenot" (store-cities) [Exodus 1:11], and similarly "el ha-sokhen ha-zeh" (to this steward) (Isaiah 22:15). But this interpretation makes no sense here [lit. "has neither head nor tail"], for what connection would it have to "if the iron is blunt" [the next verse, 10:10]? The view closer to my own is that the word "yisakein bam" comes from the language of sakanah (danger), and this is known from the words of the ancients (ha-rishonim). The two verses form a continuous statement, still in praise of wisdom, and this verse is also connected to the one above it — that the fool in his folly breaches a fence, while the wise man guards against this. The point is that there is nothing in the world that a person can attain without sorrow, toil, and danger — even stones, which are within a person's own control, so that whoever wishes may take them, will still suffer sorrow in moving them to the place he wants; and likewise with the trees of the forest — one grows weary in splitting them, and at times is endangered.

"Whoever quarries stones" — one who uproots stones and moves them from their place to throw them into the streets so that people will stumble over them — then the one who moved them will himself be hurt by them, for he himself will stumble over them. "and he who cleaves wood" — in order to drop the split pieces upon people to kill them — then the one who cleaves comes, by means of them, into danger, for they will fall upon him. And the matter is repeated many times, in the manner of Scripture, to say that in every instance it is so.

"massia" (quarries) — from the language of "moving" and "uprooting from their place," as in "and they quarried [va-yasi'u] great stones" (I Kings 5:11). "ye'atzev" (shall be hurt) — from the language of "pain/sorrow" (itzavon). "boke'a" (cleaves) — an expression of "cutting/splitting." "yissaken" (is endangered) — from the language of "danger" (sakanah).

If the axe is blunt. Sharp swords, whose sharp edges have become dull. — Notes: (15) The Gemara in Maseches Ta’anis 7b, applies this verse to the type of student to whom studies are hard as iron [=ברזל]. It attributes the reason for this problem is that he did not organize his studies properly [= והוא לא פנים קלקל]. His remedy is to exert more energy in his studies [=וחילים יגבר] and to spend more time in Yeshiva [=ויתרון הכשר חכמה]. And one has not sharpened its edge. And they are not sharpened and burnished, [as in,] “in order that they may glitter.” Nonetheless, it still strengthens the armies. It strengthens the mighty men of the armies in battle to be victorious. — Notes: (16) קלקל is a double form of קלל, as in נחשת קלל [=burnished brass], in Yechezkeil 1:7. (Ibn Ezra) (17) Yechezkeil 21:15. The text in our editions reads למען היה לה ברק [=in order that it may glitter]. There is more profit in a skill of wisdom. Wisdom has an additional advantage over iron, for if a Torah scholar’s face is blackened by hunger, and you see him as a poor man among the rich, [realize that] many armies are strengthened by him. Do not wonder about the vav of ‘וַחֲיָלִים,’ for many vavin appear like that in the Hebrew language, as in, “If you saw a thief, you agreed וַתִּרֶץ with him,” [and as in,] “The strength and the retribution of God was וַיְהִי to me a salvation,” . and many [others] are similarly explained. — Notes: (18) Tehillim 50:18. (19) Shemos 15:2. Rashi there gives numerous examples of Scripture’s similar usage of the vav

"If it is blunt" — even though the iron is blunt and its edge (panim) has not been kilkal [i.e., sharpened] — meaning it has not been honed — kilkal is one of the geminate verbs (pa'alei ha-kefel), doubled, related in meaning to kalal, [meaning] to be made thin/light; then the strength of the one splitting [the wood] is weakened. "And the word yagbir" [as in "he must exert more strength"] — is like yenatzeiach (he prevails); [compare] "ve-givarti et beit Yehudah" (and I will make the house of Judah strong) (Zechariah 10:6). And cheil (strength) is like koach (power), as in "Elohim, Hashem cheili" (God, Hashem, is my strength) (Habakkuk 3:19) [and] "anshei chayil" (men of might). "And wisdom is profitable to direct" — the point is that wisdom has an advantage over all toil (etzev), for it enables (takhshir) a person and sets him right without sorrow or the weakening of strength. Kasher ha-davar [the thing succeeds] is an intransitive verb (po'el omed) from the kal (light) binyan, while hikhshir is a transitive verb (po'el yotzei) from the heavy, augmented binyan [i.e., hif'il].

"If the iron is blunt" — if the iron of the sword's blade has become dull and darkened. And for further clarification it says, 'and he does not sharpen the edge' [lit. 'and he did not work the face'], meaning that the appearance of its surface is not polished and burnished. "then he must put to more strength" — nevertheless, in battle he strengthens the fighting men so that they defeat those who fight against them. "but wisdom is profitable to direct" — wisdom has yet greater advantage/proficiency, as it was said, 'Wisdom is better than weapons of war.'

"kehah" (blunt) — its meaning is "dimness" and "darkness," as in "and behold, the plague has faded [kehah]" (Leviticus 13:56); and the letter kuf comes in place of the letter khaf, for the guttural/palatal letters (gimel, yod, khaf, kuf) interchange with one another. "kilkal" (whet the edge) — an expression of "sharpening" and "polishing," as in "he polished the arrows [kilkal ba-chitzim]" (Ezekiel 21:26), and it is from the language of "burnished bronze [nechoshet kalal]" (ibid., chapter 1). "ve-chayalim" (more strength) — "men of valor, those who go out to war." "ve-yitron" (but profitable) — from the language of "extra" and "abundant" (yeter). "hakhsher" (to direct) — an expression of "straight" and "good."

If the snake bites. A person. Before it is charmed. Because the charmer did not charm it not to bite. There is no advantage. To the wicked charmer who was accustomed to charm it, if he did not charm it. So, if the people of your city [are unaware and] stumble over prohibitions because the wise man does not preach to them or teach them the statutes of the Torah, he has no advantage with his silence, and he will not benefit. — Notes: (20) Alternatively, Koheles is comparing a slanderer to a charmer. A person who allows his tongue to slander is as guilty as a charmer whose snake killed someone because he did not prevent it from doing so. One’s slander often causes havoc and destruction, and sometimes even death. (Alshich) (21) See the Gemara in Maseches Arachin 15b, which applies this verse to a slanderer [=בעל לשון הרע].

"If the serpent bites" — this returns to the matter stated above, namely "and whoever breaches a fence, a serpent shall bite him" (10:8). It is possible that this "fence" is the fence [enactment] of the ruler, and he likens the slanderer to a serpent. The point is that the master of the [evil] tongue has no advantage over the venomous serpent (nachash ha-tzifoni), which, when it will not heed a charm (lachash), does harm and gains nothing.

Or perhaps he began to answer [the difficulty raised earlier] from the verse "if the iron is blunt, etc." [Ecclesiastes 10:10]. That is: when he says "one who quarries stones" and "one who splits wood" [10:9], this refers to Titus and Hadrian — meaning, how did Hashem give them dominion [over Israel], and why did they not fall through their own wickedness? The matter is that Israel was blessed with "the voice," for when the voice is the voice of Jacob, the hands are not the hands of Esau (Genesis 27:22). Let us come to the point. He says: do not wonder how power was given to them over Israel, for "if the iron is blunt" [refers] to ruling over Israel — this is because Israel "did not mar [its] face" — for they had baseless hatred in their hearts, yet displayed love outwardly; this is [the meaning of] "did not mar the face." Would that they had marred their faces — [openly showing hatred] — rather than displaying faces of love while inwardly laying their ambush! Therefore, "and forces shall prevail" — the aforementioned iron [i.e., Rome's power]. And also, although in that generation there was Torah among them — for behold, "the advantage of proficiency is achieved through wisdom" [10:10] — yet wisdom that does not bring about the advantage of proficiency is not Torah at all, for such is the way of Torah: "love in the end" [the homiletic reading of "Vaheb be-Suphah," Numbers 21:14 — that a father and son who quarrel on the way become reconciled once they reach the house of study — "love at the end"], and Torah scholars increase peace in the world. And lest you say: but Israel is called "the worm of Jacob" [Isaiah 41:14], whose strength is in their mouths, to destroy all who rise up against them — why then did prayer not avail them? For behold, "if the serpent bites," it is "without a charm" [10:11] — but when there is a charm, why should it bite? So "there is no advantage to the master of the tongue" — in prayer — against baseless hatred, since they had wisdom, and behold, "the words of a wise man's mouth find favor" — favor in the eyes of the Omnipresent! Therefore he says: do not be astonished, for "the lips of a fool" — with flattering lips — "and the hatred of the heart will swallow it up" [10:12] — for what is improved through prayer is spoiled by the flattering lip, since this and that are both matters of the lips: "the beginning of the words of his mouth" [10:13], in their flattering lips, is folly. It is further possible [to explain the passage] from the verse "the heart of the wise man inclines to his right, etc." [10:2] until the verse "the toil of fools wearies him, etc." [10:15] as one continuous discourse from beginning to end, coming, as can be shown, in accordance with his usual manner in most passages. Namely: behold, he speaks of three sons — one wise, one wicked, and one who does not know Torah — describing them as "the wise man" and "the fool," the "fool" not being an ignoramus (am ha'aretz) as such, but one who follows after unseemly deeds and follies; and the third, who is a fool with regard to Torah, he calls "sachal" (simpleton). And he says that this is their character: "the heart of the wise inclines to his right" — toward merit — "and the heart of the fool [always] to his left" — it inclines toward the left; and the sachal, being a fool with regard to Torah, need not be said [to sin] by intending evil — even in the way that the sachal walks innocently, his heart/mind is lacking, for he sins unknowingly, as one lacking understanding, as in the matter of Rabbi Akiva and the met mitzvah [an abandoned corpse with none to bury it] — proclaiming to all that he is a "fool," so that they should not hold him culpable, for he is more brutish than a man [cf. Proverbs 30:2]. And he relates this in the manner of a debate among the three of them: the wise man begins and rebukes each one according to his wickedness. To the fool he says: "if the spirit of the ruler" — this is the yetzer hara (the evil inclination) — "rises up against you" and begins to dominate you, do not tolerate it until you are no longer able to master it; rather, "do not leave your place" [10:4] — meaning, do not let it gain such mastery over you that you would abandon the place of your share in the Garden of Eden to another, as our Sages of blessed memory said: "one who merits takes his own portion and his fellow's portion in the Garden of Eden." And do not rely [on the thought]: after you have sinned, you will become troubled over your wrongdoing, thinking you have lost your share in the Garden of Eden and will instead inherit a double portion in Gehinnom, and out of fear you will come to repent and heal your breach — do not rely on this remedy, for "a remedy lets great offenses rest" [10:4] — for your repentance will not be complete, since it will not rise to the level of turning willful sins into unwitting ones, and the unwitting sins will remain upon you without atonement. Therefore it is better for you, before it grows too heavy upon you, to repent out of love, and not to rest [satisfied] even with a single uncorrected sin. Now, all this I have told you on the assumption that after you go far in wickedness you will still have opportunity to repent — and so I have commanded you to repent from now — all the more so, since perhaps you will not have that opportunity at all, for who knows whether a sudden death will come upon you, and you will die without any repentance at all? For behold, "there is an evil I have seen under the sun" [10:5] — [something that comes] suddenly, like an error that goes forth from before the ruler [10:5]. Therefore, act, and do not delay. And when the wise man finishes counseling the fool, he turns to address the sachal — the one who is a fool with regard to Torah and occupies himself innocently with the good things of this world, for in his folly he does not know that there is a perfection greater than himself. He says to him: "folly is set in the heights, etc." [10:6] — this is, as is known, that all the good things of this world were given to Adam [i.e., humanity in general, per the Kabbalistic gematria equivalence אדם = מ"ה, 45] — those of the world of division/separation — but not to Israel, a single nation, of the world of unity. Therefore, concerning Israel it is said, in the plural, "each soul" — "every soul, sixty-six" [Genesis 46:26] — whereas of Esau it says "the souls of his household" [Genesis 36:6, in the plural]. And therefore Jacob and his brother divided the worlds between them: one took this world, and the other the World to Come — for one who has "a portion of God from above" [Job 31:2], it befits him only [to pursue] the wisdom of Torah, to cleave to Him, blessed be He. And this is [the meaning of] "folly is set" — the folly of the good things of this world — "in the heights" — referring to the many, as in the matter of "the souls of his household." And so, "the rich" who merited [Torah and the World to Come] "sit in a low place" [10:6] [in this world], so that they may merit that [other] world. If so, why then would you despise the Torah, which is your own portion, and pursue what is not yours? And after relating the wise man's words to the fool and to the sachal, he goes on to relate their responses, beginning with the fool's response: "I have seen servants" [10:7]. This is along the lines of what our Sages of blessed memory said [in explaining] what Acher [Elisha ben Abuyah] saw that led him astray. One opinion is that he saw a man whose father told him to fetch him fledglings; he went to a bird's nest, sent away the mother bird, and took the young — and then fell from the tree and died. And [Acher] said: behold, this one honored his father and sent away the mother bird — two commandments for which [the Torah promises] length of days — yet where is this one's length of days? And another opinion is that he saw, as told in the account of Rabbi Yishmael, [a tongue] licking the dust, etc. And similar to these reasons is [the verse] "I have seen a righteous man to whom evil happens, and a wicked man to whom good happens" [Ecclesiastes 8:14] — this is what turned him to defiance. And this will be the argument of the defiant fool as he sins, saying: behold, "I have seen servants" [10:7] — meaning that those unfit for greatness ride as masters upon horses, while princes, sons of the Living God, walk like servants upon the ground. And likewise, "he who digs a pit" — it would be fitting that he fall into it; and "he who breaks through a fence, a serpent shall bite him" [10:8] — yet why does it not bite him? And likewise, "he who quarries stones" [10:9] from his fellow's domain to make them his own ought to be pained by them — yet why are his days prolonged? And likewise, "he who splits wood" of his fellow's fruit trees ought to be endangered by them. That is to say, he therefore becomes defiant, saying, "Where is the God of justice?" [Malachi 2:17]. Thus far comes the fool's response. And when he finishes, the sachal responds to his own rebuke, saying: "if the iron is blunt, etc." [10:10] — meaning: behold, I have two arguments. The first is that it is better for me that I have not learned wisdom. For behold, if the iron is blunt and does not cut, is it blamed? No — because "it did not mar its face" — meaning, they did not make its face fit for cutting, with its edge honed thin; for "kalal" here means thin/polished, as in the phrase "burnished bronze" (nechoshet kalal, Ezekiel 1:7) — even though "forces prevail" when it [the blade] is thin [and sharp], for a sword and weapons of war grant strength over their opponents through this — this being "the advantage of proficiency," namely wisdom. For just as the advantage lies in the thinness of the sword's face and its sharpness, as opposed to when "the face is not marred" and remains thick, so too the advantage toward proficiency is wisdom — for one who has no wisdom does not know how he transgresses against Hashem, so that he is like the blunt iron, which is not blamed for not cutting. So too I: if I have not learned wisdom, I will not be blamed for not performing the commandments, since I did not know how to perform them. And there is a second argument: that I also will not commit transgressions. For does the serpent bite when there is no charm? — that is, the primordial serpent, who is the yetzer hara, [bites] "without a charm" — meaning, for one who does not understand the charms of a Torah sage, his [the yetzer hara's] glory lies only in seducing a wise man, for when there is no charm, there is no advantage or glory for him. "The master of the tongue" is the serpent that seduced Adam and his wife with its tongue — as is known from our Sages of blessed memory, that the serpent mentioned there is Samael, who clothed himself in the serpent and is "the master of the tongue." And so our Sages of blessed memory said: the greater a person is than his fellow, the greater is his [evil] inclination. And this is [the meaning of] "there is no advantage to the master of the tongue" — meaning, it is therefore better for me that the yetzer hara should not set its heart on seducing me, as it would were I to have acquired wisdom. Or, the sense of the verse is: if the natural serpent bites, it is without a charm, but if a charm is performed for it, it will not bite; if so, the yetzer hara has no advantage over the natural serpent. And this is [the meaning of] "there is no advantage to the master of the tongue" — that is, the yetzer hara, who is Samael, who was "the master of the tongue" in seducing, with his tongue, Adam and Eve — for the natural serpent could not speak. And therefore, since his advantage exists only over the wise man, it is better for me that I have not learned wisdom. After hearing all their words, Solomon comes to render judgment between them, and says: "behold, the words of a wise man's mouth are gracious" [10:12] — referring to his statement in which he said to each of them, "if the spirit of the ruler...", "folly is set...", etc. — except that "the lips of a fool will swallow him up" [10:12] — [meaning] the fool swallows up himself by his own words; for by casting doubt upon [divine] providence, and relying on that to become defiant, he swallows himself up. For behold, "the beginning of the words of his mouth is folly" [10:13], in that he says "I have seen servants, etc.," which is foolish — for the despised servant is [meant as] a rod to chastise the princes when they go astray, by leading them to become like servants upon the ground; and "the end of his talk is grievous madness" [10:13], in saying "he who digs a pit, etc.," "he who quarries [stones], etc." This accords with Solomon's earlier statement, "yet I know that it shall be well with those who fear God, who fear before Him" [Ecclesiastes 8:12] — for [he explains that] if "the sentence against an evil deed" were executed "speedily" [Ecclesiastes 8:11], then people would not fear Hashem before Him, blessed be He, except on account of punishment. And regarding the sachal's response, saying "if the iron is blunt, etc.," he [Solomon] says: "and the sachal increases words" [10:14] — meaning, words without understanding; that is, man does not know what will happen to him, for he [the sachal] thinks that, being devoid of wisdom, he will not be punished in His court, blessed be He, and also that he will not sin, since "the serpent will not bite" him. And "what will happen after him" — that is, after his death, regarding punishment — even if one wished to inform him of it, who could tell him now? For he will not listen nor be willing to believe it. And what will happen after him is that "the toil of fools will weary him, etc." [10:15] — this is because the heavens, the dwelling place of the angels, are called a "city," as in the phrase, "a wise man scales the city of the mighty" [Proverbs 21:22]. Let us come to the point: he says, woe to that sachal who thinks he is exempt from judgment, and does not know that when his soul departs at his death, he will be hurled about as within the hollow of a sling — for the forces of impurity, the destroying angels that he created through the iniquities he committed, which are called "fools" (kesilim) because through his folly he turned them into willful sins — "the toil of those fools" [10:15] will hurl him, this one to that one, within the hollow of the sling, wearying him between earth and heaven as the soul departs the body, until they terrify him, and he does not know how to go to the "city," which is the heavens — as is known, that souls behold the face of the Divine Presence (Shechinah) before their soul departs; and when it departs, the Shechinah, which they thought would ascend with them, withdraws, and the destroying angels that they made drag, tear, and hurl the soul, this one to that one, as within the hollow of a sling. And this happens to them immediately — and how much more so afterward, in Gehinnom.

"If the serpent bites" — a person, it is because the charmer did not charm it so that it would not bite; but had they charmed it and warned it, it would not have bitten. "then the charmer has no advantage" [lit. "the master of the tongue has no advantage"] — the slanderer has no advantage over the serpent. It is as if to say that he is even worse than the serpent, for they are alike in that they gain no benefit from their deeds; yet the serpent, if it is charmed and warned, does not bite, whereas the slanderer — behold, he is warned and still persists, and does not abandon his way.

"yishoch" (will bite) — from the language of nishichah (biting). "lachash" (charm) — these are known things spoken over the serpent so that it will not bite; and because the manner of saying them is in a lowered voice, it is therefore called "lachash" (whisper). "ba'al ha-lashon" (master of the tongue) — this is the slanderer, who speaks lashon hara (evil talk).

The words of a wise man find favor. In the eyes of their listeners, and they listen to him, and it is good for him that he assumes greatness over them. But lips of a fool devour him. This refers to someone who misleads his fellow man from the good way [to the bad way]; e.g., Bilam, who broke the restrictions that the nations had imposed, that they restricted themselves from immorality from the time of the generation of the flood and onwards, yet, he advised them to offer their daughters for prostitution. — Notes: (22) Alternatively, Targum renders, “the words of a wise man find favor,” i.e., by his prayer he finds favor before God, Who removes the retribution destined to befall the world; “but the lips of a fool,” are words of reproach and bring destruction to the world.

"The words of his mouth" — heaven forbid that the wise man be a "master of the tongue" [a slanderer]; rather, all the words that come out of his mouth are grace (chen). But the fool destroys himself through his own speech. And it says tevala'ennu (will swallow him) in the singular, similar to [the construction of] "zvuvei mavet" (dead flies) (Ecclesiastes 10:1) [and] "shemesh yareach amad zevulah" (sun and moon stood still in their habitation) (Habakkuk 3:11).

"The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious" — the words that come out of a wise man's mouth create favor in the eyes of people, and therefore everyone loves him and desires his good. "but the lips of a fool [will swallow him up]" — the words that come out of the fool's lips destroy him, for he does not speak with knowledge, and by this he is made ready for destruction.

"tevalenu" (will swallow him) — an expression of destruction, as in "Hashem has swallowed up" (Lamentations 2:2).

The beginning of his words is foolishness. When the Holy One, Blessed Is He, said to him [Bilam], “Who are these men with you?” he should have replied, “Hashem, You know,” but [instead] he said, “Balak son of Tzippor, king of Mo’av sent them to me,” i.e., though I may be despised in Your eyes, I am esteemed in the eyes of the earthly kings. — Notes: (23) Bamidbar 22:9. (24) Ibid., verse 10. And the end of talk is [evil] madness. Madness and confusion [by advising], “Come I will counsel you” with foolish lewdness. — Notes: (25) Alternatively, from beginning [=תחלת] to end [=ואחרית], a fool’s statements are folly and madness. (Metsudas Dovid)

"The beginning" — There is no sense to his words, neither at the beginning nor at the end.

"The beginning" — the beginning of his statements is folly, and their end is evil madness; meaning, from beginning to end they are words of folly and madness.

The fool multiplies words. For he [Bilam] was boasting that he, “knows the knowledge of the Most High.” — Notes: (26) Bamidbar 24:16. Man knows not what will be. To him in the future, for he went to take his pay in Midyan, but he did not know that he would be killed by the sword. But according to its simple meaning: The fool multiplies words. He declares and says, “Tomorrow I will do this to so-and-so,” without knowing what will be tomorrow. — Notes: (27) Alternatively, although the fool multiplies his words, the listener nonetheless knows neither their meaning nor his intention. (Metsudas Dovid) And what will be after him who can tell him. I.e., not only does he not know what will be after a time, but even what is presently now behind him, but is not in front of his eyes, only behind his back at a distance, he needs someone to tell him.

"And the fool" — he says, "I will eat and drink, for I do not know what will happen in my life or after my death." It is possible that its parallel is [the verse] "for who knows what is good for man" (Ecclesiastes 6:12), on account of what was stated above, for there are many things that increase hevel.

"the fool" (also) — Even though the fool multiplies words, nevertheless, for all his multiplying, a person who hears his sayings does not know what will be the end result of his statements and his main intent. "and that which shall be" — And even if the fool tells a person something tangible that is behind the person — not in front of his eyes, but behind the back of his neck — even though it should be easy to know and understand, nevertheless it remains unknown to him; for who will tell him, since with a fool there is no [reliable] speech and no [reliable] words?

The labor of the fools exhausts them. Their foolishness causes them labor, which wearies them, because they did not learn the ways of the approaches to the city, and he becomes weary by entering by way of pits and marshes, and he is wearied by his feet sinking into the mire; i.e., the laziness of those who abandon the Torah causes them wearying labor in Gehinnom. — Notes: (28) Fools busy themselves to understand profound and mysterious matters, when they lack comprehension of even simple matters. They are compared to those who wish to enter a city but do not know the way. They stumble and grow weary without achieving their goal. (Ibn Ezra) For he does not know the way. To the path of truth, to part from transgression, because he did not study Torah, as it is stated, “Your word is a lamp for my feet.” — Notes: (29) Alternatively, this phrase refers to an ignorant person who does not go to the city and learn from its wise people. (Targum) (30) Tehillim 119:105.

"The labor" [amal] — the fool imagines that he will stand and seek things too great and wondrous for him, while he does not [even] know things that are visible and known — like a man who wants to go to a city but does not know the way, so he wearies himself and does not attain his desire. Every instance of amal (labor) in Scripture is masculine, and this one alone is feminine — just as every instance of kavod (glory) in Scripture is masculine, except one: "al techad kevodi" (let my glory not be united [with them]) (Genesis 49:6).

"the labor of fools" — The toil of the fools wearies each one of them, for according to their folly they labor a great deal over a matter that requires no labor at all, and so they become weary from the excess of labor. And he goes on to explain, by way of example, that this refers to the fool who does not know how to go to a city, for he did not attain the wisdom to walk on the paved/main road, and instead he goes by a small path and wanders on the way, laboring greatly and becoming exhausted.

"tiga'enu" (wearies him) — from the language of yegiah (toil, weariness).

Woe to you, O land if your king. When your king and your judges behave childishly.

"Woe" [i] — since he had mentioned the matter of the fool, that he is foolish, he now says: if this one were a king, it would already be a difficult matter — all the more so if he were also a youth (na'ar). And the word i is like oy (woe), as in "ve-i lo ha-echad she-yipol" (woe to the one who is alone when he falls) (Ecclesiastes 4:10) — and there is no third occurrence of this word in this sense. "And your princes eat in the morning" — because they occupy themselves with nothing but eating, the opposite of what should be: "dinu la-boker mishpat" (execute judgment in the morning) (Jeremiah 21:12).

"A free man" (ben chorin) does not correspond to "a lad" (na'ar); however, it is possible to say that na'ar is a term for a servant, subjugated to his master, as in the phrase "Gehazi, the na'ar of Elisha" (II Kings 5:20) and "Purah his na'ar" (Judges 7:11), and the like without number — that it is a term for a servant. Let us come to the matter: it is known that one who is enslaved to his evil inclination (yetzer hara) is called subjugated, like a servant and slave to it; but one who is enslaved to his good inclination (yetzer hatov), always doing its will, is called a free man (ben chorin) and not subjugated — for there is no free man like one who occupies himself with Torah and mitzvot, since one who does the will of his good inclination does the will of his Owner, and man is His portion, so he is found to be a servant to himself, and this is the very definition of freedom itself. And the matter is meant to teach knowledge to the officer and leader of the people, for on him good or bad conduct depends: one who is whole (shalem) guides them to make primary that which pertains to the soul, and the opposite [occurs] with one who is not whole, who teaches them to make primary the affairs of the body. And this is what it means: "Woe to you, O land, whose king is a na'ar" — subjugated to another, namely the evil inclination, which becomes master of the house and rules over him, so that your king is to it like a servant-lad. And it is understood on its own that it speaks of the evil inclination, for one who serves his good inclination is called a free man. And since he is a servant-lad of the evil inclination, it follows that "your princes" — those close to him — "eat in the morning," making primary in the morning the needs of the body, and casting the service of Hashem behind their backs, as our Rabbis of blessed memory said concerning the verse "and you have cast Me behind your back" (I Kings 14:9) — after this one ate and drank and became haughty, etc. But "happy are you, O land, whose king" is a free man from subjugation to the evil inclination, for he is righteous and conquers his inclination; for by this he guides "your princes" — those close to him — that "they eat at the proper time" (be'et), that is, the time known to Torah scholars (talmidei chachamim) after their fixed [study] sessions, and this "in strength" (bigvurah) — and this is the story of that child (yanuka) in the book of the Zohar, who told the sages at his table that they should not eat bread until they first acquired it "in the strength" of words of Torah — and this is "in strength." And since sometimes people express this strength in the manner of warriors, out of love of victory and provocation, therefore it says "and not in drink" (velo bishtei) — that the strength should not be with intent to do battle, but only to attain the truth, and love in the end; and this is "not in drink" (velo bishtei), from the language of "setting the two hairs" (shetei ha-se'arah, a term for precise hairsplitting analysis) — that their strength in Torah was not for fighting, but only to bring out the honest truth.

"woe to you, O land" — Woe to you, O land, whose king conducts himself with youthful folly and does not set his mind on the proper governance of the state. "and your princes" — Because of this, your princes also eat as soon as they arise in the morning, the opposite of what Scripture states: "execute judgment in the morning."

"i lach" (woe to you) — [meaning] "oy lach"; and likewise, "woe to him, the one who falls" (above, 4:10). "na'ar" (a boy) — meaning, one who does deeds of youthfulness (na'arut).

In strength and not in drunkenness. They engage in the power of wisdom and understanding and not in drinking wine.

"Happy are you" [ashrekha] — This word appears, when not in construct, in the plural form, like "ashrei ha-ish" (happy is the man) (Psalms 1:1); and in construct it is sometimes in the plural, like "u-voteiach Hashem ashrav" (and he who trusts in Hashem, happy is he) (Proverbs 16:20), and elsewhere in the singular, "shomer Torah ashreihu" (and he who keeps the Torah, happy is he) (Proverbs 29:18). Rabbi Moshe HaKohen, of blessed memory, said that ashreihu is [grammatically] a plural form, and likewise eineihu (his eyes), yadehu (his hand), and gevurehu (his might) in "be-hitpallelo be'ad re'ehu" (when he prayed for his friend) (Job 42:10). And his proof is that [Scripture says] "nokhach einei Hashem darkhei ish" (the ways of man are before the eyes of Hashem) (Proverbs 5:21) — but he overlooked (ve-shakhach) that [elsewhere it says] "hinei ein Hashem el yerei'av" (behold, the eye of Hashem is toward those who fear Him) (Psalms 33:18), where [the word] ein is singular; so too yadehu is singular, and likewise gevurehu, just as "a shield to every valiant man who has it" (magen kol gibor she-yesh bo). And because of the word "be-hitpallelo be'ad re'ehu" [when he prayed for his friend], the world is turned around — for if so, "be-yad re'ehu ha-Adulami" (through his friend the Adullamite) (Genesis 38:20) would mean there were two; and what is the difference between re'o and re'ehu, that they should likewise occur in verbs — yirdefu (they shall pursue) and yirdefehu (he shall pursue him)? Perhaps Job prayed for each and every one of his friends with a distinct prayer, and each of them took seven bulls and seven rams — and this shows that the word ashrehu is [in fact] singular: "ashrekha, aretz" (happy are you, O land). "And the meaning of ben chorim" [free man/nobleman] — one who performs great deeds, the opposite of ben belial (a worthless man). One of the commentators said: it is known that there is nothing in the eye resembling whiteness, which resembles light, and nothing lower than blackness. Scripture likens the great to whiteness, and the small — who have no rank or greatness — to darkness. And he explains chorim as "white ones" (levanim), like "chur karpas u-techeilet" (white cotton and blue) (Esther 1:6); and he likewise explains "ve-orgim chorai" (and weavers of white cloth) (Isaiah 19:9) [and] "sallei chori" (baskets of white bread) (Genesis 40:16) — and lavan (white) in the Aramaic language is chivar. And the opposite of chorim (nobles) is "darkened ones" (chashukhim): "he shall not stand before obscure men" (Proverbs 22:29). There is one who explains "ve-lo vashti" [and not in drunkenness] as related to bi-shtiyah (drinking). And some say that bashti is an expression of poverty/weakness (dalut), like "ve-nashtu leshonam ba-tzama" (and their tongue is parched with thirst) (Isaiah 41:17) — nashtah (is dried up). And the point is that all their deeds are done bi-gvurah (with vigor). And the point of attaching gevurah (strength) to eating is that they wait to eat until they desire it and the previous meal has digested — the point being that they eat only out of need, and not for pleasure.

"happy are you, O land" — Fortunate and praiseworthy are you, O land, whose king is the son of noblemen, for such a king will not conduct himself with youthful folly. "and your princes" — Because of this, your princes also will not eat until the proper time for eating arrives, and before eating he will judge the judgment of the people. "in strength" — All their engagement is in the might of war and its strategies, and they do not occupy themselves with the drinking of wine.

"ashrayich" (happy are you) — an expression of praise and exaltation, as in "for the daughters have called me happy" (Genesis 30:13). "ben chorim" (a free man, lit. son of nobles) — thus are called the great men of renown, as in "and the nobles (chorim), and the officials" (Nehemiah 2:16). "beshati" (in drinking) — from the language of shetiyah (drinking).

Where there is slothfulness the ceiling sags. When a person is lazy and does not repair a small breach in the ceiling of the house. The ceiling sags. The structure and beams of the house will sag— and its covering. Leaks. The dripping rain leaks, i.e., when [Bnei] Yisroel are lazy with [observance of] the Torah, they melt away, and the Beis [Hamikdosh], the pride of their strength, becomes destroyed and impoverished. — Notes: (31) See Maseches Ta’anis 7b.

"Ba'atzaltayim" [by two-fold slothfulness] — It is known that every word denoting a pair takes the dual form, such as: eyes, feet, hands, shins, teeth — because they occur in two rows/sets; millstones (rechayim), and likewise "shamayim" (heaven) — and one who understands the secret of the celestial spheres will agree with this. And likewise "pa'amayim" (twice), also "mayim" (water), which has a hidden and sealed secret. And also "kol luchotayim" (all your planks) (Ezekiel 27:5) — for there are ships that are like two planks; "ne'ekash derakhayim" [crooked in his ways — "derakhayim" likewise dual in form] (Proverbs 28:18) is likewise [such a case] — and the end of that verse proves it: "he shall fall in one." And so explained Rabbi Moshe HaKohen, may he rest in Eden: "tzohorayim" (noon). If so, the word "atzaltayim" would refer back to "hands," as if it said "with [both] hands they were lazy" — and this is a terse, elliptical expression. And "hamekareh" (the rafters) in this place is a noun. And some say that it is a verb, like "the One Who lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters" (Psalms 104:3); "they laid its beams" [hema keruhu] (Nehemiah 3:6). And all of these are from the heavy, doubled [dagesh] verb-pattern (binyan), and the resh ought to take a dagesh. And he says that "hamekareh," through the laziness of his hands, performed a lowly deed (ma'aseh makh); but this is far-fetched, because "yimakh" is from the nif'al pattern, like "the glory of Jacob shall be brought low" (yidal kevod Ya'akov) (Isaiah 17:4), and it is from the geminate (doubled-root) verbs. "And through the idleness of hands" — its meaning is poverty and destitution. And "yidlof" (it leaks) is from the language of "delef tored" (a continual dripping) (Proverbs 27:15), and its meaning is the drops that fall. And this verse is connected to the verse above it, as if to say concerning that king and the officials who occupy themselves with feasting and are too lazy to attend to the affairs of the kingdom: behold, two things will befall them on account of their laziness. The first, that their kingdom will be ruined, like a house that collapses little by little and its rafters sink in; and the second matter, that they will not take care to increase [their] wealth and store it away for a time of need — and that is the meaning of "and through the idleness of hands."

"By slothfulness" (be'atzaltayim), etc. Behold, it is known that all goodness that comes to the world comes through the Shechinah, which receives the merits of Israel and is enriched by them, raising them up above, and receiving bounteous flow (shefa) from above, like rain in its season, and other goodness for the world. Let us come to the matter: it is that through two sins rains are withheld. One: through the absence of charity (tzedakah), as our Rabbis of blessed memory said, "Princes and wind, and no rain — a man who boasts of a false gift" (Proverbs 25:14), which is, as our Rabbis of blessed memory said, [about] those who pledge charity in public and do not give. The second: they said this concerning one who is negligent in the eulogy of a worthy man, as our Rabbis of blessed memory said concerning Saul, that he was not eulogized in the proper manner. And concerning these two it says "by slothfulness" (be'atzaltayim) — which are two [kinds of] laziness: laziness regarding charity, and laziness regarding the eulogy of a worthy man — "[it] shall be brought low" (yimakh) and impoverished of the bounteous flow of water, [namely] "He who lays the beams of His upper chambers in the water" (Psalm 104:3), from raining upon the earth. And if there is "a lowering of the hands" (shiflut yadayim) — that there are givers of charity who lower their hands, giving in secret — "the house leaks" with showers of rain upon the earth, for a gift given in secret subdues wrath. And it is possible, in using the term "leaking" (dalaf), [to say] that it will not be so in all places, but rather: if in one city there is giving in secret, and not in another, then upon that one city, where there is giving in secret, it will rain, and not upon the other. And this is the meaning of its saying "the house leaks" — for just as with the leaking of a house, it happens only in the place of the leak and not in the rest of the house, so will rain fall upon one city and not upon another.

"through slothfulness" — Because of idle hands, the ceiling-beams of the house become poor and dilapidated; that is to say, the ceiling deteriorates if its owner is lazy about repairing it at every needed time. "and through the lowering of the hands" — Because he lowers his hands downward and does not raise them to perform with them the work of repairing the roof, then rainwater will drip into the house; and the matter is repeated in different words.

"ba'atzaltayim" (through slothfulness) — from the language of atzlut (laziness), meaning "lazy hands"; and for this reason he spoke in the plural. "yimach" (sinks) — an expression of poverty and impoverishment, as in "if your brother becomes poor (yamuch)" (Leviticus 25:25). "ha-mekareh" (the rafters) — the ceiling-beam that roofs over the house. "yidlof" (leaks) — an expression of dripping and trickling, as in "a continual dripping (delef torad)" (Proverbs 27:15).

A feast is made for laughter. For the joy of the musical entertainment at a wedding, we make a feast, and an ordinary large feast is called ‘לֶחֶם,’ as it is stated, “King Belshatzar made a great feast לֶחֶם.” — Notes: (32) Daniyeil 5:1. And wine. They give to drink at the feast, that which makes life joyful. And money answers all things. Without money, there is no feast; therefore, a person should not neglect work, so that he will have what to spend. — Notes: (33) Alternatively, “money afflicts [=יענה] all,” i.e., either the abundance or lack of money causes affliction to mankind. Or, “money makes everyone respond [=יענה],” i.e., money causes people to readily listen and to obey.

"For laughter" — is it not evident that all the joy and laughter in the world have their root in the bread that the makers make, and in wine, which gladdens the life of man? And it is possible that "chayim" (life) here is a descriptive term for "the living," for the wine gladdens the living who are upon the face of the earth. "And money answers everything" — the meaning of "ya'aneh" (answers) is "provides/brings about"; and it is possible that it is from [the root] "et" (time), as I have explained [elsewhere], the meaning being that it brings a thing about at the time that the one who desires it wishes.

He raises an outcry against those who eat and drink and rejoice, yet do not gladden the crushed heart and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble. And he says: behold, "for laughter they make bread" — which is a feast/banquet, as in the phrase "he made a great feast" (Daniel 5:1). And the matter is that our Rabbis of blessed memory said: wine was created only to comfort mourners, and likewise it is a commandment from the Torah to gladden the heart of the poor. He says: behold, "for laughter" — that is, a joy that is not for the sake of a mitzvah but for mirth and levity — they make a feast, and not for mourning, which is the opposite of laughter. And likewise their wine gladdens those called "the living," and not the poor, who are considered as dead, as our Rabbis of blessed memory said: a poor person is considered as dead. And what does the Holy One, blessed be He, do? That "money answers all things" — for the rich raise their voice in laughter, and the poor raise their voice loudly on account of their poverty, for he craves everything; and these [the rich] eat delicacies for the joy of laughter and levity — then "money answers" for both parties, for it is taken from those who make merry and goes to the poor, so that both are answered, each according to his due. Or it may be said: behold, for laughter and joy one is only permitted by law to make bread, but not wine, for wine was created only to comfort mourners — and this is [the meaning of] "wine gladdens the living," namely the mourners who remain living. And therefore, concerning those who are nothing but "mighty to drink wine" (cf. Isaiah 5:22), "money will answer," as stated. Also, after he spoke concerning the rich man who does not benefit the poor, and concerning the poor who is not benefited, and said "money answers all" — he comes now to speak to the heart of each one. And to the poor he says: what I said, that the Holy One, blessed be He, will answer them and give you from his [the rich man's] money — depends only on this: that even in your thought (madda) — that is, needless to say [not] to utter with your lips, but even in your thought, within your heart and your mind — "do not curse the king," by saying, "why does he not make a remedy to fill the lack of the poor of the land?" And also in the chambers of your bed, do not curse the rich man who eats delicacies and does not give to you, for then they will not set matters right for you from heaven. And do not wonder how an eye could take note of you regarding something you did not even utter with your lips concerning the king, nor outside the chambers of your bed concerning the rich man — for know that "a bird of the heavens" — that is, the soul within you — carries the sound that is in your heart and your thought before Him, blessed be He, as is its custom every night, for the soul is called thus, as explained by us regarding [the verse] "and in its branches dwelt the birds of the heavens" (Daniel 4:9, 18). And what you utter with your lips in the chambers of your bed, the winged one — that is, the angel Gabriel — reports the matter above, and you are punished. And after he has spoken to the poor, he speaks to the rich, saying, "Cast your bread..." etc.

"for laughter" — For joy alone do they make a great feast, but absent joy there is no reason to make one; and wine gladdens the living alone — meaning healthy people — for to those of weak constitution wine is harmful and brings additional sorrow. "and money" — But money answers everything, fulfilling the request of all, for everyone needs money, whether for joy or for other purposes, whether healthy or weak, and all make their requests of it and it fulfills their requests. This refers back to the preceding verse, which disparages laziness, and it says: behold, money is needed for everything, and on account of laziness, will he not lack it?

"lischok" (for laughter) — an expression of joy and gladness. "lechem" (bread) — a great feast is called by the name "lechem" (bread), and likewise, "made a great feast (avad lechem rav)" (Daniel 5:1). "chayim" (life) — meaning, healthy, as in "until they were healed (ad chayotam)" (Joshua 5), which means, until they recovered and became healthy. "ya'aneh" (answers) — from the language of aniyah (answering) and responding to a request; and he speaks in the language of request and figurative expression, and its counterpart is "I will answer (e'eneh) the heavens, etc." (Hosea 2:23).

Even in your thoughts [do not curse] the king. Even in your thoughts, without speech. “גַּם” means “even.” Do not curse the king. Do not provoke the King of the Universe. Another explanation: According to its apparent meaning, this is a mortal king. A bird of the skies. The soul, which is placed within you, which will ultimately fly up to the heaven. And that which has wings. The angel who escorts you, as the matter is stated, “For He will command His angels on your behalf,” and according to its apparent meaning, “those who go back and forth;” [i.e.,] you should worry about every person, perhaps there are listeners, who will tell [the matter] to others. — Notes: (34) Tehillim 91:11. (35) The Gemara in Maseches Bava Basra 4a states, that when Bava the son of Butta met with Hordos he applied this verse.

"Even in your thought" — even though the king is young, be careful not to curse him even in your thought (madda); its meaning is: in your heart and in your thoughts, which you alone know. And in a hidden place, do not curse a rich man, for if the king hears it, he will harm you with his power, and the rich man with his wealth. "For a bird of the air" — by way of a figurative expression, similar to "for she has heard all." "And that which has wings" — it is the bird of the air, and the matter is stated twice [for emphasis].

"even in your thought" — Even in your thought, do not curse the king, and do not think that there is no one who knows your thought to inform against you before the king. "and in the chambers of your bed" — In one of the chambers of your bed, a place where no one else is present. "the rich" — For the most part, the hand of the rich man has the power to do harm to the one who curses him. "for a bird of the air" — That is to say, it will quickly become known to him, as if a bird of the air carried the sound of the curse to him; and even if he cursed only in thought, nevertheless there will be someone who understands the matter from his hint and tells him. "and that which has wings" — This is the bird of the air, and the matter is repeated in different words. "shall tell the matter" — That is to say, the matter of the curse.

"bemada'acha" (in your thought) — in your knowledge (da'at) and your thinking. "tekalel" (curse) — from the language of kalut (lightness, disparagement) and disgrace.